


True Soldiers

by SunshineKid



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Character Death, Explosions, Gen, Spoilers, Star Wars Rebels: Zero Hour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 03:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10481058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineKid/pseuds/SunshineKid
Summary: After watching Zero Hour, (spoilers) I loved the moment when the two rebel troopers decided to stay behind with Sato. Despite not having any given names, their sacrifice was heartfelt. So I decided to expand on that a little (and give them names too).





	

Andrik watched as the Orion burst into flames before his very eyes. He felt his fingers fall still as the explosion roared from within the vessel, consuming the ship itself in a fiery inferno. Swallowing, he turned towards Commander Sato. 

“Commander, they’ve destroyed the Orion,” he reported. 

Dismay flared in Sato’s eyes. Andrik pretended not to see it as he turned back to his station, fingers hovering over the controls. Beside him, Casal nudged him. They exchanged a look, and Andrik knew he had seen it too. 

“Are we going to make it out alive today?” He asked, his voice low and quiet. 

Andrik didn’t know if he could answer. He had never seen the Commander so troubled before. Not when they lost their command ship, not when they’d been dragged out of hyperspace, and not even when he had rushed to his nephew’s aid. He could only shrug, masking his own fear with dismissiveness. 

Returning to his controls, Andrik listened to commands and followed orders, like he had been doing his entire life. He cast a sidelong glance in Sato’s direction. The Commander’s expression had grown stern and hard, but there was a shadow of anguish that darkened it. 

Andrik felt concern grow within him for his Commander. He had been assigned to his vessel ever since he had begun working for the budding rebellion, and every day since then, Andrik wondered when his time to join the stars would come. Under Sato’s command, those thoughts grew quieter with each time they escaped the clutches of death. He learnt to trust his Commander, and leaned on it whenever they faced Imperial ships. The entire crew placed their lives in Sato’s hands, and he never let them down. 

Allowing his mind to wander, Andrik found his thoughts straying towards memories of his youth. He remembered seeing rebel pilots storm Imperial stations on his homeworld and hearing the explosions. He remembered seeing them return to base in their colossal starfighters, and he remembered how desperately he wanted to fly a ship one day and make a difference against the Empire. 

But when he finally began working in the rebellion, he was assigned to a control panel on a ship, much to his disappointment. He’d been furious at first; he wanted to do so much more. Over time, Andrik learnt not to mind. He was too clumsy to be a warrior, too slow to be a pilot, and not sharp enough to command a ship. He was a nameless soldier in a crowd of masked faces, but all that mattered to him was that he was playing his role in the long-drawn fight against the Empire. Eventually he realised how crucial playing his role was, however small. 

“Hera!” Commander Bridger’s transmission sliced through Andrik’s thoughts. “I can’t get through as long as those Interdictor cruisers keep cutting us off!” 

“Stay sharp, Ezra,” Captain Syndulla’s reply was steady, firm, yet it betrayed worry. “We’ll find you that opening.” 

Commander Bridger’s voice was terse with desperation. “I know, just… Hurry!” 

Andrik’s fingers grew numb. He hated feeling so helpless, so trapped. All of a sudden he remembered his own juvenile self, waiting beside a bed in a medical bay. The image of a woman crossed his mind, her frail figure lain on a hospital bed. Her face, kind and familiar, was twisted in agony as she stifled her own violent coughs. 

_Mother…_

_“My Andrik.”_ He remembered gazing at his weakening mother, her last words hanging on the edge of her tongue. _“We fight a losing battle. There are many things that will frighten you.”_

He remembered her reaching forward and grasping his hand limply, her eyes burning with a fervent flame. _“You must remember to be brave.”_

Andrik closed his eyes for a second, clinging onto the memory of his mother. _I will._

Suddenly, the Commander started forward. “Commander Bridger, go to opening 221 and get ready to jump,” he instructed through a channel to the Gauntlet. 

Andrik spun round, horror growing in his stomach as realisation dawned upon him. He could feel dread weaving its way around his heart. _Commander Sato, are you…_

Sato turned to face his crew, his gaze hardening. “All hands, abandon ship and make for Atollon!” 

The crew turned and fled, heading towards the escape pods. As Andrik watched them escape, his own distress turned into resolution. His gaze flickered to Casal, and they shared a look. They weren’t going to abandon their Commander. Not when they needed him most. 

There was no doubt in his mind. He knew Sato couldn’t go down alone. 

“Commander, we’re staying,” Andrik declared, his voice unwavering and his words ringing clearly. 

Approval flickered in Sato’s eyes. “Very well. Man your stations.” 

He and Casal took their places before the front controls. Changing course, Phoenix Home rushed out of its position towards the blockade. Andrik’s heart was light as they soared through space for the last time. 

“Men.” Sato’s words were heavy. “It was my greatest honour to serve with you.” 

Andrik turned around, and allowed the corners of his mouth to curve up in a faint smile. “Commander, the honour was all ours.” 

Sato’s hand rested on Andrik’s shoulder. “Thank you, Andrik.” 

Andrik turned back to his station, and Casal caught his eye. “We’re true soldiers today,” he said solemnly. 

_True soldiers._ Andrik felt his mother’s proud gaze upon him. 

The carrier surged forward as the Interdictor shifted its position. Andrik felt a small glow of satisfaction, knowing the cruiser’s Commander was falling for their ploy. _Stupid bucketheads._

“Wait,” Sato commanded. Andrik’s grip on his controls tightened. His heart pounded in his chest, and yet a strange calm had settled upon his shoulders. His mother seemed clearer in his mind than ever before, her waning smile sweet and inviting. 

“Now!” Sato commanded sharply. 

Immediately, Andrik swerved the ship towards the cruiser. He felt the carrier shudder from the jolt of the sudden action, but thankfully it had not been thrown off route. Phoenix Home surged on relentlessly, undaunted by the shots fired at it. Andrik’s grip slackened. 

Too late to turn back now. 

Andrik vaguely noticed Casal reach for his arm. Turning to his friend, Andrik grasped his hand, and found it trembling uncontrollably. Andrik’s heart swelled, and silently gripped it harder to comfort him. 

_Don’t worry, Casal._

The Interdictor loomed towards them, and for the last time, Andrik squeezed his eyes shut. He could see his mother in his mind, clear as the day she had faded away. 

_“Well done, my son.”_

A roar echoed in his ears, the coarse sound of metal ripping metal as the carrier plunged into the cruiser. He waited for flames to consume his flesh, yet he felt nothing. All he could hear was the scream of an explosion erupting from the collision, and still that was strangely distant. Then he knew nothing more, except that the stars were calling his name.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! You're awesome <3


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